Convinced!

For Sunday, June 14, 2026

Luke 5:7b NLT: “Soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.”

Jesus had been using Simon’s boat as a preaching platform, and now he repays the favor. “Go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

Simon protests. “Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

This time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! The fishermen shouted for help, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking!

It’s easy to convince someone about religious truth when the miracle happens right before their eyes! There was no doubt in Simon’s mind that Jesus was heaven-sent. “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

But God had other plans. Simon and his brother Andrew would abandon the family fishing business to follow Jesus. They gave up everything they knew. Simon gathered James and John, also fishermen, and the four became a part of the twelve.

Today’s lesson: Watch for the miracle. Do what your heart tells you is right. Include your friends by sharing the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Provision!

For Saturday, June 13, 2026:

Luke 5:3 NLT: “Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon (Peter), its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

Have you ever been on a shore and clearly heard a conversation taking place on a nearby boat? Voices carry quite a distance over water. Jesus had been preaching the Word of God from shore, but the crowd had grown too large for everyone to hear. His solution was to hop in a boat and use it as his podium. His voice would then carry well over the water! Problem solved!

Jehovah-Jireh, God the provider, already had two boats nearby. Finding no fish that day, the crew was back in port cleaning their nets. The lesson here is that God will often provide what you need even before you know that you need it! Jesus would later repay their favor by taking them fishing for more fish than both boats could hold, but that’s another lesson!

The Bible says that people were “pressing in” on Jesus to hear the Word of God. Soon he might have been under the waves in the Sea of Galilee! The boat was a much better solution! God is good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Feed Five Thousand?

For Wednesday, March 11, 2026:

Matthew 14:15-16 NLT: That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

When Jesus heard that his cousin John the Baptist had been executed, he wanted some alone time. So he boarded a boat, seeking peace on the other side of the lake. It didn’t work. The huge crowd followed him up the shoreline and met him on the other side. Full of love and compassion, Jesus healed the sick among them.

That’s when his disciples advised dismissing the crowd, sending them away to obtain food. No one had had supper, let alone lunch, and this was about to become a big problem. Proving he still had a sense of humor, Jesus replied, “YOU feed them!” To understand how ridiculous this was, realize that there were 5K men present, most with their wives and some with a few kids! So the crowd could have numbered close to 20K! The disciples were horribly under-resourced! They had already counted the available food: five barley loaves and a couple of fish! No way this was going to work.

Jesus told his disciples to seat the people in groups, 50-100 people. Then he lifted the bread and fish toward heaven and blessed it. Breaking the bread and fish, he sent a suitable portion to each group and never seemed to run out of food, as if this simple meal had a never-ending supply. Everyone ate their fill, and afterward the disciples gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers!

This miracle is documented in all four Gospels, and typical emphasis seems to be on the “miracle.” That’s not bad, but I also like to remember the love and compassion Jesus showed for his loyal followers. That’s typical Jesus behavior. As we live our lives for Christ, most of us will never get the chance to feed 5K. But we’ll get plenty of chances to lend aid to those seeking the Kingdom.

When in doubt, do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Fishers of Men!

For Friday, May 10, 2024:

Mark 1:17-18: “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Many of Jesus’ disciples earned their living by fishing, but ALL of them understood fishing. Simon and Andrew were using nets to multiply their fishing efforts. They could bring in a large number of fish by gathering the net once. That’s the principle.

In a way, Jesus said, “That’s nothing! Follow me and we’ll fish for human souls!” Jesus is preparing to speak the truth of salvation, the truth of being rescued from our sin problem. This analogy touched their hearts. They knew fishing.

Are we going to put out big nets and capture people? No! Our net is truth. Our net is heavenly truth straight from the mouth of Jesus. Our net is the promise of forgiveness. Our net is living in God’s presence in the life after this life.

This is Good News! It shouldn’t be too hard. Our net looks pretty good. People should be jumping into our boat! Encourage them!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Dinner Reservations!

For Friday, January 19, 2024:

Mark 6:37 VOICE “Jesus: ‘Why don’t you give them something to eat?’

Disciples (looking at Him): ‘What? It would cost a fortune to buy bread for these people!’”

The crowd, hoping to learn more, had followed Jesus into what proved to be a desolate area. His disciples thought the teaching should end so everyone could get to nearby towns and obtain food before sunset. But Jesus told the disciples, “You feed them!”

It’s important for us to grasp the magnitude of the situation. The Bible says that 5,000 men and their families were fed that day. I’ll do the math for you. If most of the men were married and most families had at least two children, this could easily be 20,000 people! This was no longer a few people gathered on a street corner listening to a holy man pontificate. This crowd would fill the Xcel Energy Center, with a few spilling over onto the sidewalks!

The disciples inventoried the available resources – five small barley loaves and a couple of fish. Next Jesus told everyone to sit down in groups. It was suppertime!

God’s Son looked heavenward and blessed the food. He personally broke apart the bread and the fish, and had his helpers distribute some to each group. Everyone ate their fill, and the disciples filled 12 baskets with leftovers, an amount that far exceeded the original resource. It was a “God thing.” It was a miracle! It was Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Temple Tax

 For Friday, May 19, 2023:

Matthew 17:27 NLT, Jesus speaking to Peter: “We don’t want to offend the Temple leaders, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the (Temple) tax for both of us.”

Jesus honored the Temple leaders and the Roman government, even though they both wanted to murder him. But it was not yet time for that. Now was the time to pay the Temple tax, and Jesus had an over-the-top plan. Sometimes he was just too cool! Jesus could have just handed Peter a coin, but instead sent Peter fishing, to discover a coin in the mouth of a fish! Of course it all happened just the way that Jesus predicted!

The coin was a stater, worth four drachmas, four day’s wages. For Jesus, this was a teachable moment. He asked, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people, or the people they have conquered?” Of course kings typically tax the conquered. But here, the Temple leaders were taxing their own people! According to Jesus, that’s not the way God’s faithful should operate!

In churches, we don’t assign fees or taxes. Instead, we voluntarily give back to the Lord out of gratitude for what Jesus did for us: forgiving our sins, and assuring us a heavenly hereafter in the Lord’s presence.

God is good! Jesus is good too!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship